Dwight Howard dominated the interior from the opening tip, scoring 32 points and grabbing 16 rebounds in leading Houston to a 98-81 victory.
San Antonio missed big bodies Tim Duncan, who was rested along with fellow veteran Manu Ginobili, and injured Tiago Splitter.
When Howard was not scoring inside, James Harden filled the stat sheet, adding 20 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Rockets.
Cory Joseph led the Spurs with 18 points off the bench, and Aron Baynes had 12 points and 11 rebounds.
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Mavericks 87 Trail Blazers 108
Portland overwhelmed the Dallas Mavericks with a 35-18 third quarter en route to a 108-87 victory. LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points before sitting down for the entire fourth.
Damian Lillard finished with 18 points, including 10 over a stretch of just under six minutes in the fourth before he also took a seat. Trail Blazers' defense held Dirk Nowitzki to 17.
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